Technology

"As firefighters fought to control deadly wildfires north of San Francisco last month, a small unit of Alphabet Inc.’s Google had a more modest goal. It had employees driving cars around loaded with air-monitoring equipment to measure how badly the smoke was polluting the air."

"A pivotal EPA study provided the rationale for exemptions that helped unleash the fracking boom. The science was suppressed to protect industry interests."

"Elon Musk has always dreamed big, and tonight he showed off his biggest reverie yet: the fully electric Tesla Semi. Powered by a massive battery and capable of hauling 80,000 pounds, it can ramble 500 miles between charges. It’ll even drive itself—on the highway, at least."

"In a paper released Thursday, 26 scientists, including four laboratory directors at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, unveiled a blueprint for the [climate] observing network of the future. It calls for a coordinated and expanded observing network that is focused on answering key scientific questions that respond to the needs of society and that leverages emerging technology."

"A group of Democrats representing western states has sent a letter to White House budget chief Mick Mulvaney urging the Trump administration to include funding for an earthquake early-warning system in the fiscal 2018 budget."

"In a normal year, Kevin Bradley, a professor of weed science at the University of Missouri, would have spent his summer testing new ways to control a troublesome little plant called water hemp. This has not been a normal year."

"The city’s rise as a global innovation city reflects decades of investment in emerging technology, a new Brookings report says."

"The technology, billed as a central pillar of the Steel City’s future, may be creating more economic anxiety than anything else."

A new technology for coating the inside of lead service pipes could save homeowners money and make expensive replacement unnecessary. It is being tested.

"The Environmental Protection Agency is spending nearly $25,000 to construct a secure, soundproof communications booth in the office of Administrator Scott Pruitt, according to government contracting records."